


Accidentally in love

by orphan_account



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-14
Updated: 2012-05-05
Packaged: 2017-11-03 15:24:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/382945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony has had trouble dealing with Steve & his new girlfriend lately. He doesn't really know why, but he has a feeling it might change a lot of things between his friend and him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Anna

**Chapter One: Anna.**

 

“Tony, can I ask you something ?”

“Of course, Steve.”  Tony absently said as he repeatedly stretched his fingers in his mechanical glove.

“Did Anna do anything to you? You don’t— you don’t seem to like her a lot.”

Tony froze, leaving his right hand hanging open above his desk. Well, this could get really awkward.

“I don’t have any problem with her. I am what you could call ‘indifferent’.” He shrugged. He, himself, did not know why he disliked that ‘Anna’ so much, so answering Steve’s question was no easy task.

“Fine. I guess I misinterpreted some things you said or— or did. Like that time you said she looked fat in her dress and—“

“She did look fat.” Tony cut him off.

“Tony…” Steve sighed, shaking his head. “Whatever you think of her, she is… I really care about her and I haven’t felt that way in _years_. Almost a century, actually. Please, try to be nicer now. For me? As a friend?”

The sad look in his eyes was too hard to resist and Tony gave in. With a simple nod, he made the Captain understand that he would try.

**-0-**

Later that night, when the other agents were out in the streets, Steve left to have dinner with Anna. Tony had the whole place for himself and after a few drinks, he just lied down on the couch. As usual, whiskey helped him think.

“Anna.” He mumbled. “Why do I _loathe_ you so much?”

He already felt like that once. When Pepper moved on and started seeing another man. He could not help but hating her. That is what jealousy and feeling left out did to him. And, well, as pretty and nice as Anna was (not to mention curvy), Tony never had any feelings for her. So _why?_  
Already tired of all the intense thinking, he stood back up and headed to the mini-bar to pour himself a glass of scotch. And another one. And another one. Half through his sixth glass of the night, he heard the elevator’s door opening.

“Who’s there?” Tony asked, but nobody answered. “Jarvis, tell me.”

“It seems to be Captain Rogers, sir.” The AI replied in a second.

Keeping his scotch in hand, Tony staggered to the hall and found Steve hanging his coat on a rack, both of his shoes in his left hand.

“Hi there, Cap’.” Tony said casually, making Steve jump.

“I thought you’d be asleep.” He said after a few seconds. “I didn’t want to be noisy and wake you up.”

Tony snorted and leaned against the closest wall. He was getting dizzy and his vision was a bit blurrier than earlier.

“I wasn’t sleeping. I rarely do.”

“I know.”

Even though Steve was smiling, Tony recognized that worried look on his face he only wore when Tony was drunk.

“You shouldn’t dr—“ Steve started.

“I know, shut up. I’m a big boy, I know my limits, I can drink by myself. And I’m drunk even not! I mean—“

Steve sighed, put his shoes on the floor and got closer to his friend.

“You need this wall to stand up and you just mixed your words. Come on.” He said as he emptied Tony’s glass in a plant pot. “Let’s go.”

“I’m not a kid, stop it!” Tony complained as the Captain pushed him back in the living room to get him some water.

“What was it for, this time? Are you celebrating something?”

Back lying on the couch, Tony snorted again then sighed heavily.

“I was bored and I needed to think.”

“What about?” Steve asked as he sat on the chair right next to the couch.

“Anna and Pepper and stuff like that.”

Steve tilted his head then said:

“I thought you were indifferent to Anna.”

“Rule number one: Tony Stark lies.” He laughed. “I don’t— I think I don’t like her.”

“I figured that out. The question is: why?”

“Who knows! I kind of dislike you too these days, to be honest! I don’t know why either, though, haha!”

Even though Tony was laughing again, Steve did not have the slightest smile on his face. He looked hurt.

“Oh come on. You know me! Big brain, big thoughts, no time to analyze them… Don’t do your puppy eyes.”

“You need some sleep, Tony.” He said, frowning. “And so do I. Good night.”

He stood up, put his glass of water next to Tony’s on the table and headed toward his room.

“Steve, wait—“

 

Rule number two: Tony Stark can be a real ass sometimes.

 


	2. Late night/early morning apologies.

**Chapter Two: Late night/early morning apologies.**

It was now five in the morning and Tony was still awake, lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling lightened by his reactor. The alcohol’s effect was already gone but the thoughts were still here. He regretted what he said to Steve, especially since he _didn’t_ mean it. He did not dislike him— how could he?— but he _did_ feel weird toward him recently. Ever since he started dating Anna actually. He had no idea what it meant, but he knew he had some sort of anger inside of him whenever their relationship was mentioned. But if this jealousy was not for Anna, then did that mean that it was for… Steve? But…

“Nope. No way.” He whispered to himself. “Not that I find i— no way. Or maybe—”

But what if that was _it?_     After a few minutes of hesitation, Tony got out of his bed and put on an old t-shirt. When he left his room, he saw Natasha and Clint chatting in the living room. They were too busy to notice Tony’s presence, so he just kept on walking. Steve’s room was just around the corner and Tony stopped right in front of the door. There was no sound to be heard and no light to be seen… Steve was sleeping and he would not hear Tony’s apologies before at least noon, after his shift and right before Steve’s.

“Fuck it.” Tony mumbled as he turned around and walked away.

Natasha and Clint were still in the living room, but someone else he did not notice before was with them. Bruce, maybe? No, the guy was too big to be Bruce, and not big enough to be Thor.

“Then it must be Steve.”, Tony thought. He froze in the middle of the corridor for a few seconds before starting to walk again. Right before he opened his room to go back to ‘sleep’, a hand fell on his shoulder.

“Still awake, eh? Don’t you _ever_ sleep?”

Tony did not turn around and just shrugged, still feeling his friend’s – did he still get to call him _that?_ – hand on him.

“Feeling better?” the Captain asked.

“ _You’re_ asking _me?_ That’s just ridiculous.”

Steve’s hand left Tony and he could hear him running it through his blond hair.

“You were drunk.” Steve mumbled. “It doesn’t— it doesn’t count.”

“But it _does_. I didn’t mean it but it counts!” Tony blurted out, finally facing Steve. “And I know it’s not enough, but I’ve been thinking and I figured it all out and I’m really, really sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re always annoying when you’re drunk, anyway!” Steve laughed.

Tony smiled and shrugged again – his _friend_ had a point. Once he was done laughing, Steve patted his friend’s shoulder again and turned around to go back to his room. After a few steps, he stopped and looked back at Tony.

“Wait, can I ask you something?” Steve hesitated.

“Sure, Cap’.”

Tony now had the back of his head and his shoulders leaned against his door, waiting for the Captain to talk. Just when he thought things were better and not awkward anymore, Steve finally said:

“You said you ‘figured it all out’.”

“I— I did, yeah.” Tony replied, apprehending the question that might follow.

“What did you mean by that? Like— what was the reason you disliked us? Or just her, I don’t really know anym—“

“Just her.” Tony interrupted as he looked down at his feet.

“Just her, then.” Steve sighed, still fixing his questioning eyes on Stark.

What was he supposed to say? Even if he thought he figured it all out, Tony was not confident enough to say it out loud – and that was a first for him, to lack confidence. Locking himself in his room was really tempting right now, but he wouldn’t do that to Steve; he’d think he’s a dick. Again.

“I uh— I think it’s because I may or may not have… Feelings? Yeah. For uh…” he stammered.

He felt like a stupid teenage boy. It had been a long time since he felt so embarrassed. Hell, he probably never felt this way in his entire life. It was unpleasant and uncomfortable and Tony prayed to whoever was reading his mind right now that he would never have to feel this way again.  
Seeing that Stark had some troubles finishing his sentence, Steve smiled to encourage him. It didn’t help. Tony just felt even more embarrassed.

“Can we talk about this later?” he asked, his eyes finally meeting the Captain’s.

“Sure!” Steve nodded. “Your shift’s in a few hours you probably need some rest. I shouldn’t have asked, sorry.”

“Stop apologizing, Steve.” Tony sighed. “You’re always apologizing when you don’t have to.”

“Sorry!” he shrugged.

Steve walked away again and said, laughing, as he was leaving:

“Feelings, Tony. I call that progress!”

“Shut up Cap’.” Tony snapped back, discretely blushing.

“Good night, old friend.”

“Yeah right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already posted this in ff.net, but I am going to re-post all the chapters here today.


	3. You scared me.

**Chapter Three: You scared me.**

Tony’s shift did not go well. At all. Even though Thor and Clint managed to minimize the damages and get Tony out of there, he was still badly injured and his suit was so battered it almost fell off his body. The tower was at the other end of town so they headed straight to the hospital.

“A little help here?” Clint yelled as they entered the emergency room.

When they saw Tony’s state, the doctors ran to help Thor carry him and got him on a stretcher in order to lead him to a free room and take care of him.

“We need to call the others.” Clint sighed before collapsing against a wall. “They need to— we have to tell them where we are. Let ‘em know we’re okay…”

Thor sat down next to Hawkeye and nodded quietly. At first, he wanted to correct his friend and tell him they were anything but “okay”, but he did not. He was too tired to say anything.

**-0-**

When Tony finally woke up, he saw Thor sitting by the room’s window. The blond looked exhausted but at least he looked healthy, which was not Stark’s case. Unable to move because of all the disgusting IV tubes and the stitches on his stomach, he only managed to turn his head in the god’s direction.

“Hey.” He whispered, out of breath.

Thor jumped off his chair in surprise and joined Tony’s bedside, beaming.

“You are fine!” he boomed in relief. “I was scared you would sleep for another day. The tower is too quiet without you!”

 “Oh well, that’s nice… Wai—“

“What is wrong, Tony Stark?” Thor asked, still smiling like the happiest man in the world.

“How long have I been unconscious?!” Tony suddenly shouted.

His heart monitor made an awfully panicking sound as he tried to get out of bed. Nurses came running into the room and, with Thor’s help, pushed Tony back on the mattress.

“Mister Stark, you can’t leave your bed yet!” a red-haired nurse said.

“How many days?” Tony asked again, more calmly this time.

“Two days.” Someone said from the doorway. “You lost a lot of blood and hit your head pretty bad.”

The nurses, who were blocking Tony’s sight, got out and he could finally see his friend standing outside the room.

“Steve!”

“How are you?” the Captain asked as he grabbed a stool and sat next to Tony’s bed.

“Tired. Sore. Upset. Living the dream! You?”

A little laugh escaped Steve’s lips.

“I’ll leave you two, now.” Thor said. “I am glad you’re back, my friend.”

He patted Tony’s shoulder – making him whimper in pain – and walked out of the room to find Bruce and Natasha. Once they were alone, Steve let out a relieved sigh and fixed his worried eyes on Tony.

“You scared me.” He said.

“I—Uh. Sorry.” Tony stammered. He did not know what else to say – after all it was not really his fault if he got beaten up – but seeing Steve like that made him feel kind of guilty. “Are you okay?”

“I am now.”

Steve hid his face behind his hands for a few minutes without saying anything else. When he looked back up, Tony noticed how red Steve’s eyes and how big the dark rings under them were.

“When’s the last time you slept, Cap’?” Tony asked, putting his tubes-free hand on Steve’s.

The blond simply shook his head in reply.

“I thought you were dead.” He muttered after a minute long silence. “And like Thor said, the tower was really quiet without you. Everybody was way too calm, it was stressing me out.”

Tony squeezed Steve’s hand and stared at their fingers for a minute.

“I am so sorry.” He started. “I was reckless during this shift and I— I flew right into a freaking trap and it got out of control and Thor and Clint they— wait. How’s Clint?”

“He’s completely fine. Just a bit bruised.”

“Great. Amazing.” Tony laughed in relief. “He scared me. He almost got crushed by some sort of flying truck.”

“I know. We saw uh— we saw a video. Some guy filmed everything on his phone. It was truly awful to watch, though.”

Steve turned his hand and squeezed Tony’s. The latter’s heart skipped a beat when his friend locked eyes with him.

“Don’t you dare doing this again, you idiot.” The Captain said with a trembling voice.

His eyes were shining with tears and it was way too freaking hard to handle for Tony. He let go of Steve’s hand and ripped the IV from his other arm – “Fuck this.” – to be able to hug him. The position wasn’t really comfortable but it seemed to calm Steve a little bit.

“I won’t, I swear.” Tony said, his face buried in Steve’s shoulder.

It felt like time had stopped during their embrace, but they both had to go back to reality eventually when a bunch of nurses ran into the room to put the IV back in Tony’s arm.

“Mister Stark, stop pulling the tubes out!” the red-haired one grumbled.

“Yeah… Not gonna happen.”

Steve, who was wiping the tears from his eyes, suddenly burst out laughing.

“Ah, that’s more like it.” Tony whispered with a smile.


	4. Priorities and... Stuff.

**Chapter four: Priorities and… stuff.**

Even though Tony was finally back at the Tower, he was not allowed to go on missions. His stitched were not totally scarred yet and his head still hurt. His sight got so blurry sometimes he had to run to the bathroom – being dizzy did not help when it gets to dodge tables and walls – to throw up.  
When Fury received a call telling him help was needed downtown, everybody – except Tony, obviously – got ready in a few seconds and headed out. Steve quickly hesitated before leaving Tony alone in here.

“What if someone attacks the tower while we’re out?” the Captain asked the night before. “One of us should stay here with you, just in case.”

“Nobody will attack the tower, Steve. And if they do, then I’ll have my suit to welcome them properly. And don’t forget all those agents in here!” Tony replied. It did not convince Steve, though.

“You can’t fight anybody in your state.”

Tony let out a loud huff of irritation.

“It’s not like I’m a cripple, Cap’. If I put my suit on, then I can beat almost anybody.”

This made Steve shake his head. It was apparently impossible to convince him that Tony was safe here, so they both stopped talking about it. Tony knew that if the Avengers’ help was needed, Steve would rather help the citizens than stay idly by with Tony anyway.

**-0-**

The team left around 5pm and they still had not come back. It was now 8pm. Tony was utterly bored and his head felt like it was about to explode. Just when he decided to pick up the phone and order some pizza, Jarvis spoke up.

“Sir, there seems to be a woman in the hall.” The AI said.

“So? Why should I care?”

“It is Anna Anderson, sir.”

Tony’s head started spinning and he had to sit for a moment. When he started to feel better, he stood back up, put his grey hoodie on to cover his old AC/DC t-shirt and went into the elevator. Two minutes later, the doors opened again and Tony was face to face with Anna.  
Her long blond hair was softly curled and fell right on her naked shoulders, contrasting with the darkness of her little black dress. She was wearing high heels that made her look even taller than she originally was. And, well, she looked pissed.

“Hi Anna.” Tony said with a wave of his hand.

“Hello.” She muttered. “I wasn’t expecting… You.”

“Oh really?” he laughed. “I’m hurt.”

The young woman sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, unamused. After realizing she was being rude, Anna apologized and asked Tony how he was doing.

“I’m fine, I guess.” He shrugged. “Still a bit sore, but—“

“Sore? What happened to you?” she asked, surprised.

“Oh, I got into— into an accident. It was pretty bad but I’m fine. Not that you really care, right?”

Her mouth opened as if she was about to say something, but she remained silent. She got a bit closer to Tony and stared at his forehead for a few seconds. Her eyes widened like she just understood something important.

“So that’s why I couldn’t get Steve to smile this week.” She sighed. “I thought it was my fault, but it wasn’t. It was yours.”

“My— my fault?” Tony blurt out. “I didn’t do anyth—“

“You made him sad. He couldn’t even sleep.”

Tony was in some sort of shock. She was literally telling him that it was his fault if Steve worried so much, as if he’d get in trouble in purpose.  
His sight started to become blurry and if it was not for the wall on his left, he would already be on the floor right now. His eyes were now closed but he could feel a hand trying to help him stand.

“You’re a mess, aren’t you?” Anna asked. For the first time, Tony perceived a little bit of sympathy behind her sarcasm. They had never been really nice to each other. “Try to sit up.”

She helped him as well as she could to sit on the cold tiles without making his head hit the wall. The coolness of the floor made Tony feel a little bit better, but he was still dizzy.

“Steve came to visit you at the hospital on Thursday, didn’t he?” she whispered.

“Yes.”

“I see.” She laughed nervously. “So this is why he stood me up and didn’t talk to me for a whole day. To see you. Of course.”

Tony opened his right eye and discretely took a look at her. She looked even more upset than before. Weirdly enough, he felt bad for Anna: being stood up is not fun at all and even Tony has trouble dealing with it sometimes. But, somehow, a part of him could not help but feel glad. Glad that Steve chose him over her. Glad that he was more important than his girlfriend.

“You had a date tonight.” Tony said. It was not a question, it was a deduction.  
The beautiful dress, the nice hair-do, the make-up…

Anna nodded as she tilted her head against the wall behind them. They remained like that, silent, for at least five minutes before she stood up and patted Tony’s shoulder.

“Get better, Tony.” She smiled before she added, more coldly, “And please tell Steve to call me. As soon as possible.”

**-0-**

A little less than an hour after Anna left, the team came back from the mission. They all looked miserable and a few of them had cuts and blood on their faces.

“Stupid robots. Stupid freaking robots.” Clint yelled, throwing himself on the couch. “I hate them.”

Natasha grabbed Barton’s legs and raised them to sit on the couch with him. Her hair was a real mess but, as usual, she did not let anything show on her face, even though she was covered in dust and had a few cuts on her shoulders.  
Bruce did not show up in the living room, he was probably calming down downstairs, Thor was washing the blood off his face in the bathroom and as for Steve, Tony saw him heading straight to his room. After wishing everybody goodnight and explaining Thor for the millionth time that shaving foam was not like soap, Tony went to knock on his friend’s door.

“Steve? Can I come in?”

The door cracked open and Steve’s face appeared through the gap between the door and the wall.

“What do you want?” he asked, yawning.

“I—Sorry maybe I should tell you tomorrow?”

“Tell me what?”

Steve fully opened the door and leaned against the wall. He looked like he had trouble standing on his feet – “Been there. Actually still here…” Tony thought.

“Anna came by. She said you had a date.” Tony said as he started scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. It was kind of awkward to do Anna a favor by passing the message.

Steve brought his hands to his face and whispered a little “Crap.”

“I totally forgot…” he added, his face still hidden behind his bloody hands.

“You had a mission, it’s not a big deal. Priorities and all that shit.” Tony said to reassure him. He knew that behind those fingers, Steve’s big blue eyes were probably full of guilt and the only thought of it made him quiver.

Steve’s hands lowered and he stared at both their feet.

“Did she look mad at me?”

“No... Yes. But not batshit mad, you know. Just… Pissed that she got stood up. Again. She said you should call her as soon as you can, too.”

A loud sigh escaped Steve’s mouth and surprised Tony when he just shrugged it off.

“I’ll call tomorrow.” He then said, “Like you said, priorities and all that—that _stuff_.”

“She’s not— Isn’t she one of your priorities though?” Tony asked, hoping to get Steve to talk about the first time he dodged Anna to visit him at the hospital.

Steve blushed a little bit and ran his hand through his hair, letting out a little nervous laugh.

“She’s not first. She’s kind of… Far from first now, actually.”

“Now?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend.

“Goodnight Tony.” Steve quickly mumbled as he closed his door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit longer, oops.


	5. I stay in the darkness with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am truly sorry for being so so late. Lots of thing happened during these holidays (like... seeing The Avengers 3 times in two weeks) and this week I had problems with my computer : it wouldn't stop freezing, and now Microsoft Word won't open. Yay. Anyway, I hope you'll like this chapter ! Thanks for reading and for the kudos, it means a lot to me ! x

** Chapter five: I stay in the darkness with you. **

A couple of days later, Tony received a phone call from the hospital saying he missed an appointment with his doctor in the morning; he slept in and totally forgot that he was supposed to be there around 9am.

“You should be more careful about your health, Tony.” Steve sighed, “You can’t just ‘forget’ important appointments like that.”

“I was tired and I slept in, it’s no big deal.” Tony whined, “And they planned another appointment anyway. I have to be there at four.”

Knowing Tony would probably forget it again, Steve simply said he would come with him before Stark could even refuse.

“What are you, my baby-sitter or something?” Tony laughed.

Even though Tony tried to look pissed, Steve knew he was actually pleased. Hospitals are anything but fun and going alone is not something really reassuring.

** -0- **

Steve just put his coat on when Clint ran into the room, saying the team was needed downtown as soon as possible. 

“Priorities, Cap’.” Tony simply said when he saw that his friend looked hesitating. “Go. I can handle the hospital on my own.”

Steve turned to Clint who simply nodded and left. Before Tony could ask what was going on, Steve pushed him out of the room and straight into the elevator. They both remained silent during the whole ride; Steve was casually leaning against the back wall and Tony was staring at the ceiling, waiting until they were on the ground floor to speak up.

“What are you doing?” he asked, blocking his friend’s way out of the elevator.

“I said I would come with you, didn’t I?” Steve shrugged.

“What about your priorities? We—we talked about it and you—“

“Right now you are my priority,” Steve cut him off, ”so shut it and walk, you have a doctor to meet.”

He made Tony turn around and, both hands on his shoulders, Steve pushed him toward the doors. Outside, a cab was waiting for them.  
The hospital was not too far away so they arrived only fifteen minutes later. Even though it was short, the cab ride had been quite awkward. Steve did not say a word and insisted on staring at the buildings outside, avoiding any sort of eye contact with Tony. The latter had his eyes fixed on his feet, trying to understand the situation. Steve had always been the most responsible of them all, the most willing to put his life on hold to save innocent citizens… The cab door opening next to him drew him from his thoughts and Tony came out of the car and walked into the hospital hall with Steve.  
The appointment went well, nothing really important happened though and Tony shook his head at the thought of Captain America missing a mission for a stupid check-up. Another fifteen minute-long ride later, they were back at the Tower. Steve tried to start a conversation a couple of time but Tony remained quiet. He was not really sure why, but he was upset. Sure, he should be happy that Steve volunteered to accompany him and ignored an important mission to stay with him, but weirdly enough he was not  _ happy _ . Somehow, it made him feel weak.

“You don’t need to hold my hand when we cross the street.” Tony blurted out when they were in the elevator. The words escaped his mouth before he even thought about it.

Steve looked at him in surprise. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it almost immediately. Before they arrived on the right floor, Steve pushed the emergency button and stopped the lift.

“What is wrong with you today?” he asked Tony.

“What I meant is that I am not a kid.” Tony simply sighed. “And you shouldn’t have missed the mission just for a stupid appointment.”

Steve had a nervous laugh that made Tony shiver in anticipation to what would come next.

“We are  _ friends _ Tony. This is what friends do. They take you to stupid appointments to the hospital and they don’t care if they miss something that might be important to them.” Steve was trying to stay calm, but a sort of growl came out when he pronounced the last words.

“Except it was not just something important to you, Steve!” Tony barked. 

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed and he took a step closer to Tony who now had his back against the wall.

“Can’t you just be grateful?” Steve muttered.

“I am.” Tony said, trying to keep his eyes at Steve’s level.

“Weird way to show it.” Steve laughed.

Their faces were a bit too close for Tony’s comfort. Well, he had been this close – and even closer – to some random chicks’ faces before, but they were not…  _ Steve _ . They were not the guy he had those weird feelings for.

“Now that it’s settled, can we— can we leave? We’re blocking the elevator.” Tony stuttered. “And I think I’m dizzy again.”

The last part was a lie, but he thought it might get him out of here faster. He was wrong. Steve started to look worried again, just like he had in the past week, and he put a hand on Tony’s forehead.

“Your temperature seems normal… Do you need to sit down?”

“No I’m—I’m fine, I just really want to get out of here.”

Steve nodded and took a few steps back. His thumb was about to push the emergency button again when Tony grabbed his wrist.

“I still think you shouldn’t have come and that the mission was way more important than taking me to the hospital.” He said, locking eyes with Steve, ignoring the furrow of his eyebrows. “ _ But _ that doesn’t mean I’m not thankful. I just—I just don’t show it the right way.”

“That's the understatement of the century.” Steve smiled, his face looking relaxed again. His eyes were back on the emergency button and their hands now. “Can I..?”

After a few seconds of reflection, Tony decided that now might be the right time to make a move. He was not sure it was a good idea but eh, what the hell. Good ideas weren't his thing anyway.

“No.” Tony finally said with a straight face. Steve giggled, probably thinking his friend was just being sarcastic, but he quickly stopped when he noticed the serious look on Tony's face.

“Wh–?” 

His right hand was still on Steve's wrist, but his left one went straight for his cheek as he leaned over to kiss him on the lips. At first, Steve was startled – how could he  _ not _ be?! – but he kissed Tony back after a few seconds of hesitation and surprise. He realized he had been wanting this to happen for a while when his hands automatically went for Tony's waist, holding tight to the fabric of his shirt. In the heat of the moment, Tony pushed Steve against the wall without pulling away from their kiss. They could barely breathe with their lips locked like this, but none of them cared. It was like they had both been craving for this kiss during all this time and weren't ready to let go yet.  
If earlier this morning you would have told Tony Stark that Steve Rogers and him would both end up  _ there _ , he would have called you a f*cking liar. This was too good to be true and Tony rarely had this much luck – was that what that was? – but it did not last long.

_ Ding!  _ Shit, Steve's elbow probably hit the emergency button when Tony pushed him.

The doors opened on an astonished Thor. Steve and Tony broke the kiss and both stared at him in embarrassment. Steve's face had now turned red and Tony discretely put a hand on his back to reassure him. It didn't work.

“I-- I uh, hi Thor.” Steve stammered, getting redder and redder. 

Thor remained silent for a moment as the two “friends” stepped out of the elevator before the doors closed again.

“How was the mission? Did we miss something big?” Tony asked casually, his hand still on the lower part of Steve's back.

“Hm, just some creatures of iron scaring people off. Nothing too big, my friends.” Thor finally said. He re-opened the doors of the lift and friendly hit Tony on the shoulder as he passed by him. “I do not feel the need to ask how your appointment went, Stark. You looked quite happy and fine, in there.”

“I-- uh... Yeah, I'm fine.” Tony babbled. “Thanks, I guess?”

Thor waved and beamed at his friends as the doors closed again, and Steve let out a big sigh.

“Great, just great.” he said, rubbing his hands against his face, making it look even redder than it already was – Tony didn't even think it was possible at this point.

“Thor knows how to keep a secret, Steve. Don't freak out.” Tony whispered in Steve's ear before planting a kiss on his temple. “Now, where were we..?”

Steve removed his hands from his face and punched Stark's shoulder with a shy smile on his face.

“Not now, Tony.”

“Later, then.” he said with a wink.


End file.
